Absorbent foam materials for aqueous body fluids and absorbent articles containing such materials

An absorbent article especially suitable for absorbing and retaining aqueous body fluids, said article comprising:

• A) a backing sheet;
• and
• B) an absorbent polymeric foam material associated with said backing sheet such that the absorbent polymeric foam material is positioned in the fluid discharge region of the wearer of the article, said absorbent polymeric foam material comprising a collapsed polymeric foam material which, upon contact with aqueous body fluids, expands and absorbs said fluids, said polymeric foam material comprising, when dried, a hydrophilic, flexible, non-hydrolyzed structure of interconnected open cells, which structure has a capillary suction specific surface area of from about 0.5 to 5.0 m.sup.2 /g;
• and which structure further has incorporated therein from about 0.5% to 20% by weight of residual water-insoluble emulsifier and from about 0.1% to 7% by weight of a toxicologically acceptable hygroscopic, hydrated salt;
• said structure further having,
• A) in its collapsed state,
• i) a water content of from about 4% to 15% by weight of polymeric foam material;
• and
• ii) a dry basis density of from about 0.08 to 0.3 g/cm.sup.3 ;
• and
• B) in its expanded state,
• i) a pore volume of from about 12 to 100 mL/g;
• ii) a resistance to compression deflection such that a confining pressure of 5.1 kPa produces after 15 minutes of strain from about 5% to 95% compression of the structure when it is saturated at 37.degree. C. to its free absorbent capacity with synthetic urine having a surface tension of 65.+-.5 dynes/cm;
• and
• iii) a dry basis density upon saturation to its free absorbent capacity in said synthetic urine which ranges from about 9% to 28% of its dry basis density in its collapsed state.